Kat, please describe briefly how you found your way into web design.

I actually started in print (newspaper design and illustration), but I've always been into computers. I taught myself web design and found that I really enjoyed the challenge of the technology combined with the design. I've really gotten into the usability of websites as part of my web design.

What was your first design-related job (web or print)?

I had a horse club when I was 12 where I designed newsletters and sent them out. Funnily enough, I didn't care too much about the horses, it was making the newsletters that I loved. My first position in graphic design was in high school where I did a co-op placement in a print department for a big telecommunications company. I did invitations, got to see how a printing press worked and more.

How did you make the transition from print into web design and then into front-end development, too?

It was a strange way to do it. I had learned a bit of html in high school, but I then worked at a newspaper in university, doing cover illustrations and layout. I learned Flash then too, and was trying to make animations (I suck at this!). It wasn't until I was working at a publishing house in London, when, out of utter boredom, I said, "Would you like me to design a new website for your corporate website?" I did it, and they loved it. When they asked, "Can you code it up?" I said sure. For the next week or so, I did a crash course in html/css. Fortunately, the concept of universal styles was firmly embedded from my print background, and with a few heartaches (learning about cross browser stuff for the first time is devastating, for example), I was absolutely hooked.

I like to come up with my own ideas for things, and being able to code them up myself has been brilliant. I don't do much front-end code, but I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing developers who work well with me to teach me command line stuff, tagging and together we make amazing apps.

Do you prefer to code your own designs or work with a developer who would do this?

Usually I code my own stuff as I do make improvements and improve usability as I'm coding it. It's really hard for me to imagine the interaction in every minute detail in photoshop, so if someone else is coding it up, I usually end up with lists of tiny changes I would have just made myself. To be fair though, occasionally I don't code up my own designs and have worked with some really great front-ends, who do a much better job than I would. But at the end of the day, I'm hooked on doing my own coding as I think it makes me a better designer.

Do you think you might go back to graphic and print design one day?

I still do logo design, with business cards etc. I recently designed a product box. It was heart breaking, as the colours didn't appear correctly if the printer hasn't given you the right specifications. I think print work is challenging, but not in the way that I enjoy. I will still continue doing logos and business cards, as it's nice to have control over what a brand is doing, but I'd rather stick with web design.

You work with HTML and CSS. What about Flash? Have you tried it?

I did make a few websites 4 or 5 years ago in Flash. I found it incredibly frustrating, and since I'm not very good at it, I won't use it again.

What do you think about the new versions of the long-beloved tools - CSS3 and HTML5? Have you tried working with them?

Yes, and I love them! I use the drop shadows, corners and gradients for css3 all the time (with graceful degredation for older browsers of course). I've also implemented a few sites using html 5. I feel dirty for generating the tags for internet explorer, but it's so nice to have a semantic mark up. I've only touched the surface on these tools and am looking forward to experimenting with them more!

Can you explain the name and design of you website? How did your "obsession" with goats begin?

I've always thought goats were adorable, especially baby ones. About 3 years ago, I had a developer friend where we would email each other the cutest pictures of goats we could find. One day we were planning on visiting a petting zoo, and wondered if we should ask the other boys we worked with to join us. We deemed it unsafe and began joking about goat safety. In 5 minutes I quickly photoshopped a life jacket onto this baby goat, and safetygoat was born. He's held a place in my heart ever since, and I have high hopes for him as an action figure.

How do you find your clients or rather how do they find you?

I've been really lucky: every one of my clients have been through referrals. I'm fairly new to full-time freelancing (January is when I started; before I did it just on the side), but I have loved working with all my clients so far!

Do you often have to say no to work offers?

Oh my. It's gotten quite bad. I probably say no to 2-3 legitimate job offers per week. I said in May that I wasn't taking on any new projects until July, and now that it's July, I am not taking on anything new until October. My problem is that my existing clients have ongoing projects, which basically fill my time. I've also decided to only take on new jobs if I am really excited about them. Particularly, I really want to do more environmentally-based works, so I may squeeze that in if I see something amazing. I'm also working on a few of my own projects, and have been neglecting those. So, new clients will have to wait!

How long does a design project usually take?

Web design is never done. For a blog, I would probably try and get it done in less than a month, but I have been building web applications for the most part these days. Usually we'll build a few features at a time, and try to work in monthly sprints. Sometimes the planning and design takes longer. I have been working hard with my clients at the planning phase so we make sure we get things right, but this takes time.

Can you briefly describe the typical stages of working with a client on a project?

Stage 1: Briefing
I want to know about the project, timescales and budget. This really determines the scope of the project. Depending on where they are, development might have already started, but I really prefer to be part of the planning from the beginning.

Stage 2: Exploration
Working with the client, I want to find out what they're looking for, what their goals are, and get a feel for their personalities. At the beginning of this phase, I'd get a deposit (usually 1/3 upfront). It basically makes the client commit to me. I'll then start looking at what competitors do, what is possible. We'll then set down a tentative feature list.

Stage 3: Wireframing and scope control
At this stage, our goals should be set, so adding in new features has to be done with restraint. I am still learning that proposals should be updated and billing reflected when this happens! We'll walk through what we want the user to be doing and how they flow through the pages. I'll usually also talk to the developer during stage 2 and 3 a lot to make sure features are possible.

Stage 4: Initial design
Usually I will present one or two pages with one design on it. I don't present anything but my best design (even if I have 10 others that I've done) for web design, although I usually present 3 logos (with very similar looks). This is usually just a rough go, and I'll make sure that I present it to them while I'm talking to them (and in the browser).

Stage 5: Polishing and other page design
I'll do the main pages. I'll usually also think about empty versus full and error messaging. Things will look fairly polished.

Stage 6: Coding
I do some design as I code things up, and I'll either code it up statically, or right into the app, if that's what the developer wants. I prefer to work right on the app, to make sure the code stays clean.

Stage 7: Present, test, bug fix
If they have the money, I'd get them to do some user testing. At this point, we get people to try it out, and begin testing to make sure things work. Then, fix for other browsers, and align everything more and more.

You were going to do lots of traveling since you quit your last job. Were you able to?

Yes, we went to Canada for a month (where I'm from), then to San Francisco for 6 weeks, then to Peru and Bolivia, which was incredible. Then back to Canada for Christmas. I hadn't been home for Christmas in 4 years! I'm planning on doing another trip next year, but it might be a work while holidaying type of vacation.

How do you find your new freelance career? What benefits has freelancing had for you? What are the disadvantages (if any)?

I love freelancing. I especially love deciding what I work on and organizing my own schedule. Then there's also spending more time on my garden and working in my pjs! The projects I've worked on have all been so interesting. A few disadvantages... invoicing and reminding people about invoices is a chronic problem, and sometimes if a project falls behind I end up working long hours as I end up being doublebooked! Not much you can do about that; there's only so much you can plan ahead for.

You are an author of several great articles on Smashing Magazine and other resources. Do you enjoy writing? What are your favorite topics?

I do enjoy writing a lot: I find I learn so much from it. For example, I didn't know much about invoicing until I wrote my article for it. I had an invoice, but I had no idea why one was better than the other. They make me research things I know stuff about, but then I become so much more knowledgeable. You can't beat it. I write my best articles about things that I want to know more about myself, and that's usually been menial things like email signatures, invoices, brand guidelines and my next article is going to be about briefing. I don't write too much, as I want to be a designer primarily, and I think that you get more respect from the community if you spend more time designing than talking about design.

What do you call your greatest professional achievement to date and what goals do you have for your future career?

I think so far, my greatest achievement has just been that I've been overloaded with great work, and never have to worry about getting more. I've also made sure that I enjoy my projects, so every day I feel like I'm learning and getting better!

Being a woman web designer, do you ever feel like a minority?

I guess so, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I definitely don't feel discriminated against! If anything, being a lady means that I get more opportunities. Most teams like to have a girl or two on it. And genrally I think I get more attention for being a girl. This is not necessarily a good thing: I really believe on doing things on merit, and getting visibility because I'm a girl is good, but it shouldn't be the only reason. If I'm not good enough to be noticed based on my work before they know I'm a girl, I'd rather not get noticed.

Why do you think women are so few in web design?

I think girls get a bit turned off by the coding and think that it's too nerdy. I can't even figure out how our dvd player works, but html and css are not difficult. I also think that guys are willing to put in the hours after work/school to really improve (a must in order to be any good).

What would you recommend to starting female designers?

Get your head down and spend as much time as possible getting as good as possible. And learn to code up your own designs. It really does make you a better web designer.

Thanks so much for your great extensive answers, Kat.

Lillian Wells

Lillian Wells has worked on the web for a while but has only recently discovered the joys of blogging. She combines her teaching career with what gives her the most satisfaction - following web trends and taking interviews from outstanding professionals. Her inbox is always open for comments and suggestions. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Get in touch with Lillian: designinterviews@gmail.com